


a clean slate and rose colored lenses (you can’t pay the price of what’s already paid)

by OsleyaKomWonkru



Series: People Make Better Decisions [5]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Because Diyoza Doesn't Know They're Not A Thing, Bellamy Isn't One, Diyoza Recognizes Leaders, Episode: s05e04 Pandora's Box, Fix-It, Gen, Implied Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Leader to Leader Conversation, Leadership, Neither is Clarke, No One Gives These Women Ultimatums and Gets Away With It, Octavia is the Leader, Tentative Peace, Truces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 17:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18168176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OsleyaKomWonkru/pseuds/OsleyaKomWonkru
Summary: This wasn't the world Diyoza was expecting to find upon returning to Earth. And she certainly wasn't expecting her people to be in a hostage situation. But the hostage-taker and his girlfriend weren't in charge - that honour belonged to the girl with bloody war paint on her forehead and 800 people following her every order. She's the one Diyoza needed to talk to.The conversation that Diyoza and Octavia should have had in 5x04.“That’s right. My people. They’re awake, and they’ve taken your brother’s people prisoner. So if my people down here do something your brother doesn’t like, and he tries to make that call, he doesn’t have any leverage anymore.”“Why are you telling me this?” Octavia asked.“Because neither of us like being given ultimatums. So let’s say we cut out the middleman. If we can make a deal, then all of our people can live. Because if we can’t, then your brother has started a war, and it is your people that are going to die in it. It’ll be a war that will be long and bloody and over the last piece of survivable land on Earth. We’ll both take losses we’d rather not. We might even lose that land and then we all die.”“I’m listening.”





	a clean slate and rose colored lenses (you can’t pay the price of what’s already paid)

**Author's Note:**

> I know, if this conversation took place, then we wouldn't have season 5. But these are fix-its for the storyline, not for the convenience of having a 13-episode season full of conflict and violence :D
> 
> I'm still not over the fact that the end of season 5 had Spacekru+Clarke making decisions for everyone. Octavia and Diyoza were robbed, when them and Madi were the only ones with any sense this season. I just think things could have been different from the start had Diyoza bypassed Bellamy once the bunker was opened and been willing to talk to Octavia leader to leader. Because I'm not going to believe that a woman who led terrorist operations against fascist governments was afraid of Octavia, as Shaw seemed to imply when talking to Raven and Murphy in 5x05. No, Diyoza would see that there's another badass bitch on the playground, and would know that if they don't have an agreement, they're all going to be in trouble.

Diyoza returned to her rooftop observation post and continued to watch the people from the bunker come up, looking through the streets for something familiar, clearly not finding it.

The world had changed since they’d been trapped in there too, that much was clear. People had been destroying the world bit by bit since before she was born, and the world was still reaping the results of those mistakes. Now all that remained was that valley.

And Diyoza was no fool. She knew her people wouldn’t be able to survive there. They’d be able to hunt, maybe. But what happened when the animals ran out? They didn’t have any other applicable skills. She’d gone through all their profiles, she knew who she had to work with.

As much as she hated to admit it, she needed these people, this _Wonkru,_ too. They would have the skills they’d all need to survive, even if right now they looked like characters from a video game from the days of her youth, soldiers ready to fight when given a mission.

Diyoza saw the hostage-taker leave the building she’d seen him enter with his sister after they’d both come to the surface. She’d overheard some of their conversation as she’d passed by on her way to the ship. But now he looked frustrated and worried, eyes scanning the crowd, probably looking for the blonde he’d saved as he’d threatened Diyoza’s people.

The sister didn’t come out of the building. This was her chance.

Diyoza slipped down from the top of the building, watching for any of the girl’s guards, but not seeing any. Clearly she’d felt safe enough with just her brother. Or, the other possibility - she could handle any trouble that landed in her lap on her own.

From what the hostage-taker and his girlfriend had said about her, about this Octavia, she didn’t doubt the girl’s capabilities.

She peeked in the door before entering, seeing her standing there, hands flat on a table, shoulders hunched over. Octavia was observant, Diyoza certainly had to give her that, for as soon as she stepped in the door her spine straightened and she turned around slowly, expression changing to a confused neutral when she saw who it was.

“Not the family reunion you were hoping for, was it?” Diyoza asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Your brother. I overheard some of your earlier conversation. He doesn’t respect what you’ve done here.”

“What’s it to you?”

Diyoza shrugged. “Just making an observation. He doesn’t understand. But I do.”

Octavia narrowed her gaze. “What do you think you understand, exactly?”

“Trying to lead people who can’t agree on anything. Doing things you’d rather not do to keep them alive and fighting. I’ve been through more wars than you have years. I recognize a soldier who just wants the war to be over. We can do that. You and me. Right here. Right now.”

“Yeah. That’ll happen.”

“You don’t trust me. It’s okay. I wouldn’t trust me either.” Diyoza leaned back against the doorframe. “Especially given the ultimatum that your brother gave you. Which you didn’t follow, by the way.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your people were supposed to be unarmed. I know they’re not. Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you. I didn’t listen to your brother’s ultimatum either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve just talked to my people up on my ship. That’s right. _My_ people. They’re awake, and they’ve taken your brother’s people prisoner. So if my people down here do something your brother doesn’t like, and he tries to make that call, he doesn’t have any leverage anymore.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Octavia asked.

“Because neither of us like being given ultimatums. So let’s say we cut out the middleman. If we can make a deal, then all of our people can live. Because if we can’t, then your brother has started a war, and it is your people that are going to die in it. It’ll be a war that will be long and bloody and over the last piece of survivable land on Earth. We’ll both take losses we’d rather not. We might even lose that land and then we all die.”

“I’m listening.”

“Did your brother tell you who we are?”

“Prisoners. Sent to a mining colony for your crimes before the first nuclear apocalypse.”

“That’s right. I’m told you know something about a life like that.”

“I was one of the hundred juvenile delinquents who was sent to Earth to see if it was survivable. But my crime was being born, for the Ark had a one-child rule. I doubt that your crimes were so mundane.”

“You’re right. They weren’t. I used to be in the military. And then I fought against fascist governments. They called me a terrorist because I wouldn’t play by their rules. But I only wanted the best for humanity. And they locked me up for it. Sent me to die on an asteroid for it.” Diyoza crossed her arms over her chest. “I had a speech all ready to give to the leaders of the ‘Free World’ when we got back here. All righteous about how they’d stripped us of our rights and profited off of our pain and suffering, and if they didn’t let us return peacefully that we’d bomb them into oblivion. Imagine my surprise for when we returned and they were all gone. Wiped from this world like they never existed.”

“The apocalypse did the job for you.”

“It did. But we didn’t want that. At least, I didn’t want that. I believed that we could be better. That humanity could do better. That they wouldn’t choose that fate, and would instead let the people that they’d tossed away like garbage have a second chance. A chance to rejoin the world and be forgiven of their crimes.” Diyoza’s eyes met Octavia’s. “Those leaders are gone. But you’re here. You’re the leader of what remains of humanity on Earth. It’s impressive, really. To go from the girl whose very existence was a crime to the leader of the human race. You more than anyone should understand what I want for my people. So what’s it going to be?”

“This world is different than the world your people left.”

“It is. Integration might be harder, but I would like to think that we can learn to get along. Right now, we’ve got the land, but you’ve got the necessary people. I’ve got a bunch of career criminals. They don’t know anything about farming or building or anything that we need for long-term survival. You’ve got the doctors, the farmers, the engineers. So I ask again - what’s it going to be?”

“I want to talk to my brother’s people. The ones your people are holding on the ship. Verify your story.”

“Fair enough.” Diyoza pulled out her Lasercom. “Moore, do you copy?”

A few moments, then a crackle. Then a voice. “Diyoza?”

“Let me talk to the prisoners.”

“Copy that. Stand by.”

A few minutes passed.

“Hello? Who is this?” A female voice.

“This is Colonel Diyoza. You must be the one Shaw was fighting for systems control. He’s impressed with you.”

“Good for him. What the hell do you want?”

“Someone wants to say hello.” Diyoza tossed the Lasercom to Octavia.

“Raven?” Octavia asked.

A pause. “Octavia?”

“Yeah. We’re out of the bunker. Who’s there with you?”

“Besides all of the prisoners? Murphy.”

“Hey, Queen of the Grounders.” came Murphy’s voice.

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Are you all right?”

“A few bumps and bruises.” Raven said. “But we’ve had worse.”

“Sit tight.” Octavia looked at Diyoza. “We’re coming to get you now. Over and out.”

Octavia tossed the Lasercom back to Diyoza. “How many people do you have with you on your transport ship?”

“Five there at the moment , ten more are working to get your people out of the bunker.”

“Okay. Those working the bunker will stay there and keep going until all of my people are out. In the meantime, fifteen of my people and I are going to join you. We fly over the Valley, so we can get an idea of the terrain we’re working with. Then we go to your ship and end my brother’s hostage situation and bring his people and yours down. I won’t leave anyone hostage in a box in the sky. Once everyone is on the ground and we know the lay of the land, we can work out more specific terms. Sound fair?”

Diyoza was impressed. Octavia wasn’t making any promises yet, who could blame her, but she also wanted to do right by all of humanity by getting them to the ground - both her people and Diyoza’s - and fix her brother’s mistake. It would be a start.

“Yeah. Let’s start with that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from “Rose Colored Lenses” and “I Can’t Save The World If I’m Not Happy” by Eliza Grace.


End file.
